Russia Is Hoping To Transform The ISS Into The Ultimate Tourist Destination

Between 2001 and 2009, Russia sent seven paying guests to the International Space Station. But when NASA canceled the shuttle program in 2011, the American space agency began to rely on Russia’s Soyuz spacecrafts to transport astronauts to the ISS, putting an end to space tourism.

Now NASA is counting on SpaceX and Boeing to take over astronaut transportation by 2018, which will leave Russia with a huge loss in revenue. To make up the difference, Russia will resume “short-term commercial expeditions to the Russian segment of the ISS.”

In fact, British soprano Sarah Brightman will be traveling to the ISS later this year at a personal cost of about $50 million, which is about what the expected cost of a ticket will be come 2018. Time to start saving.